The Twelve Bleached Days of Christmas: A Pigeon in a Pine Tree
Standard Disclaimer: all characters herein are the creative property of Kubo Tite.
This is beyond frustrating …
Ichigo grumbled under his breath as his oblivious friend trotted off after a damn pigeon, leaving him standing expectantly under the mistletoe …again.
Walking his attractive -and quite kissable looking- classmate home after his family's Christmas party, through the gaily-decorated streets of Karakura, had afforded him many opportunities to guide Orihime under a conveniently placed sprig of mistletoe, or seven.
Unfortunately, for the substitute soul reaper, his redheaded friend was playing merry hell with his plans.
It was becoming obvious to Ichigo that Rangiku, Tatsuki, and Rukia didn't know what the hell they were talking about. The trio had cornered him in the hall outside his room when he went to grab his coat after volunteering to walk Orihime home, telling him –repeatedly- that he should finally make his move, and try to catch the bubbly redhead under the mistletoe.
Blowing them off, blushing at the very thought, he ignored Rangiku's singsong voice as he thundered down the stairs, not wanting to keep Orihime waiting. However, Ichigo still heard the busty blonde's words. She had assured him that the gentle healer wouldn't fight him off if he actually found the balls to try, just the opposite in fact.
The two redheads had walked quietly for several blocks while Ichigo silently puzzled over his friend's unexpected advice. Rukia and Rangiku, he could understand sticking their nose in his business, but Tatsuki normally didn't, especially in concern to Orihime.
Usually, the dark haired tomboy was obsessively protective of her daydreaming best friend, and not likely to encourage him to make a move on her. Unless Tatsuki knew something that he didn't. Like what?
Threading his fingers through his hair in confusion, Ichigo knew that now was not the time to try to puzzle out their meaning, especially not with Orihime walking beside him. He put the bewildering thought from his mind as he turned to pay attention to the girl at his side. Attempting to make small talk, he was gratefully when his bubbly friend took over the conversation, saving him from possibly putting his foot in his mouth.
Sinking back into thought as Orihime's cheerful chatter swirled around him, he tried to decipher Matsumoto's cryptic words. The older woman had stated that the gentle healer wouldn't fight him if he actually attempted to kiss her, but the opposite. What was the opposite of fighting? He honestly couldn't think of anything. Could it be liking?
That can't be right, can it?
Glancing out of the corner of his eye at the happily smiling woman beside him, Ichigo wondered if it was really possible that Orihime liked him. He hoped like hell that she did. It would definitely make things easier on him if she did.
Spying a lavishly decorated storefront halfway down the block, he felt a blush burning in his cheeks as he cautiously herded Orihime under a bow-bedecked branch of mistletoe hanging from the brightly lit overhang. With his heart hammering in his chest, Ichigo had roughly cleared his throat, ready to slyly point out just where they were standing when Orihime had started stammering wildly before darting to the side, squealing excitedly over a talking stuffed elf.
Maybe she just didn't notice …
Ichigo's calm reasoning was shot to hell after trying three separate times, and each time his wonderfully spacey friend would scurry away, a blush staining her cheeks as she chattered about some sort of nonsense. Could she be playing hard to get? Surely not Orihime, she wasn't the type to play games. Pushing his confusion aside, he started to see this as more of a challenge, one that he wasn't willing to admit defeat to.
Furrowing his brows in concentration, he had tried to use lame excuses like snow melting off the overhang, a dog chasing a cat, and a rowdy group of kids to nudge Orihime in the direction he wanted her to move. But time and time again, no sooner did he guide her under another festive kissing bough, she would slip away before he could spring his trap.
Sighing as he watched her chase her elusive pigeon into the park across the street, Ichigo scowled down at the hyperactive kid tugging on his sleeve. He rolled his eyes at the excited chatter, wondering if maybe it was time for some more aggressive planning. Glancing down at the pink haired girl playing in the snow at his feet, he might even have to employ a candy bribe to accomplish his goal.
To his way of thinking, it would be worth dealing with a sugar overloaded Yachiru if it actually helped him catch Orihime under the mistletoe …before he lost what was left of his nerve.
Tilting his head to the side, gesturing the livewire of a lieutenant to his side, Ichigo stealthily looked around before bending down to see if he could possibly strike a deal.
That was too close …
Orihime sighed out, her heart pounding in her chest as she scurried away from Ichigo's tempting side, yet again. It seemed that no matter where they walked tonight, they always seemed to end up under the mistletoe.
She was beginning to wonder if the holiday spirits were plotting against her.
Wondering what she ever did to them, Orihime wandered deeper into the winter wonderland the local children's park had turned into with this latest snow. She tried to calm her breathing and her runaway heart, hoping that Ichigo didn't think that she was the one trying to trap him under the mistletoe.
Scheming Spirits.
She mumbled under breath, feeling depressed despite all the beautiful Christmas decorations hanging everywhere. It wasn't that she minded the idea of being kissed by Ichigo under the mistletoe. She had even dreamed about it before, maybe once or twice, or actually about a dozen times –this week alone.
Sighing again as she chaffed her hands to warm them up, Orihime knew that her secret love wasn't trying to catch her under the infamous kissing ball. Ichigo would probably run screaming into the night if he had realized that they'd actually been standing under the mistletoe no less than seven times tonight.
Shaking off her depressive train of thought, she looked around, quite certain that there would be no rogue mistletoe hanging out in the park. There would no longer be any reason for her to dart from Ichigo's side, saving him from the embarrassment of trying to kindly let her down.
Dropping her chin to her chest at the dismal thought, Orihime trudged along the path before stopping in surprise. Tilting her head to the side, she couldn't believe how gloomy she was being. This just won't do.
Tis the season to be jolly, after all.
Blowing out a frosty breath, she straightened up, banishing her discouraging thinking, and focused on happier thoughts. Her loving Ichigo was enough, it wasn't necessary that he return her feelings, just as long as he was happy. She had always believed that, and it still held true.
In a better frame of mind, she watched the snow slowly drift to the ground. Spinning around a light pole with a happy laugh, Orihime smiled at the tinkling sound of bells somewhere close by. She looked around curiously, wondering where the sound was coming from.
Shrugging her shoulders when she couldn't find the pretty bells, she let go of the pole and skipped back to where she left Ichigo, not wanting to waste one minute she had alone with him.
What just tripped me?
She didn't have a chance to investigate because suddenly she was falling, and just as suddenly, she wasn't. Feeling dizzy, not certain if she was falling, or not falling, or possibly even flying, Orihime's breath seized in her chest as she became aware of a familiar spicy scent. Slowly her mind caught up as strong arms carefully lowered her to her feet.
Staring up into warm brown eyes, she felt her cheeks burn with color as Ichigo gradually released her. Orihime could still feel the imprint of his fingers burning through her thick coat, and she started doing what she always did when she was nervous.
She began talking, prattling on about nothing.
Anxiously chattering about her pigeon, tripping over something, and just where did he come from, Orihime shyly glanced up as he chuckled at her wild rambling. Biting her lip, stalling her long-winded speech, she allowed herself the luxury of letting her eyes move over Ichigo's familiar face before feeling them go wide at the sight dangling over his head.
Surely, someone, somewhere, hates me …
There could be no other explanation. All the events of this evening pointed to that undeniable fact. Orihime darted her eyes to the side, looking for a distraction. Spying her pigeon, she opened her mouth to direct Ichigo's attention to the Godsend of a bird instead of the berried abomination above his head when he curled his hand around her wrist, tethering her to his side.
"You don't see anything."
Lifting shocked eyes up to his, Orihime squeaked out, "I don't?"
Shaking his head resolutely, he arched a brow before dryly stating. "No, you don't, especially if it means that you're going to trot off somewhere else."
"Oh." She slowly answered, feeling terribly confused. Chewing on her lip, Orihime decided that maybe she should just say something, and get the heartbreak over with as quickly as possible. "I-I don't want to embarrass you, Kurosaki-kun, b-but did you notice …" she trailed off lamely as her eyes drifted to the innocent looking white berries, knowing that they were pure evil to tease her this way.
"Yes, I'm quite aware of where we are standing."
"You are?" she demanded in astonishment, darting her shocked eyes back to his. Was Ichigo really grinning bashfully at her? And was the pine tree giggling? Orihime didn't know which one was more surprising, a smiling Kurosaki-kun or a laughing tree, both were equally rare, even in her world.
"Then, all those times before, it wasn't mean holiday spirits?"
Furrowing his brows in confusion, he opened his mouth to question her before deciding not to bother asking for an explanation. Rubbing the back of his neck, Ichigo awkwardly kicked at the powdery snow as he quietly admitted. "I might have guided you there on purpose."
"Oh," Orihime breathed out, her voice tremulous as she whispered, "I wish I had known."
Ichigo stepped closer to his blushing friend, feeling an arrogant grin tug at his lips when Orihime lifted brightly shining eyes up to meet his and timidly closed the distance between them. Uncertain if it was normal for his palms to sweat in December, he slowly brushed her silky hair over her shoulder as he asked, "Really, and why is that?"
"Because," she quietly declared as she braced a small hand on his broad chest, rising up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway, murmuring, "I've wanted to do this all night …"
"Oh, just look at them, it's perfect." Rukia sighed out happily, as her shining indigo eyes moved from one photo to the next. "However did you convince Kenpachi to take the pictures, Matsumoto?"
"Yeah, I was kind of curious about that myself." Tatsuki asked as she dropped back onto the couch, grateful the Kurosaki Christmas party was finally winding down, and she could hear herself think again.
Grinning down at the two dark haired women, Rangiku gratefully accepted a small cup of sake from their cheerful host before rejoining them. "It was easy actually. You just had to entice him with something he wanted."
Rukia doubtfully looked over the blonde soul reaper's skimpy, red Santa suit before arching a brow, and guessing, "A rematch with Ichigo?"
"Bingo" Matsumoto giggled out as she sat beside Tatsuki, curling her legs underneath her curvy body, as she got comfortable. "Captain Zaraki was even kind enough –as you know- to develop the camera for us. Yachiru got her candy, Kenpachi is probably fighting with Ichigo right now, and we got our picture proof. I'd say that it was a great night all around." She saluted them with her cup before downing the contents in one swallow.
"You forgot to mention the main point of tonight, getting Ichigo and Orihime to finally kiss." Rukia dryly murmured as she held up her favorite picture of her unaware friends. Tilting her head to the side, she stared intently at the photo. "Is that a pigeon in that pine tree?"
"What do you know, it is." Rangiku replied easily as she leaned over the couch's arm, gazing happily at the two entwined redheads before tapping a second photo. "And if I'm not mistaken, Yachiru as well."
"It's not exactly a partridge in a pear tree, but close enough to suit our purposes." Tatsuki stated with a laugh as she accepted the set of pictures from Rukia. Glancing through the glossy photos with a smile, she grinned at her co-conspirators before wondering aloud. "I'm curious what Orihime's true love will give to her for the other days of Christmas?"
Tapping a slender finger against her chin in thought, Rangiku settled back with a lecherous smirk, imagining the many possibilities. "Hmm, one can only wonder."
A/N: This is my holiday gift to all you Ichihime lovers out there. I intend to do all twelve days between now and New Year's, so be on the lookout for more. Most of them aren't as long as this one, nor do they follow any timeline, actually, most of them are completely random. -grins-
I hope that you will enjoy them. Thanks for reading. ~Rairakku